The 24 hour radio station – Sunny Govan 103.5fm – which broadcasts across the whole of Glasgow and beyond – has recently moved to new premises at 960 Govan Road in the heart of Govan.

Said Heather McMillan the Station’s MD: ‘After spending nearly five years in a car park on the fringes of our community, we were delighted to be given the opportunity to move into the Portal in Govan Road. With a lot of help from our volunteers, we have been able to fit out our unit at the Portal. It’s been great to see so many people drop in and take an interest as they pass by.’

She added: ‘If you haven’t already done so, come down and say “Hello!'” We are proud to be a small, accessible social and cultural tool to be used by local people for personal and communal empowerment. Our new base right in the heart of the community will help us do just that – so pop in and get to know our team.’

The station is also offering a 12 hour course on broadcasting. Run over six weeks it will teach some of the practical and legal aspects of operating a studio, making and presenting a programme, editing, advertising and observing the OFCOM code of conduct. With a limited intake of five people at a cost of £200 each, Sunny Govan is offering a very special deal. For more information or to book a place call: 0141 445 3741 or email: info@sunnygovanradio.com

IF you are holding a hustings meeting and want to publicise it through this website, please email the information to: franklinfeatures@gmail.com

NOTE: You can email your QUESTION for the SUNNYGOVAN hustings to the email below……

Friday 15 April at 7.30pm: West End Hustings in St Mary’s Cathedral, Great Western Road. Candidates from the Scottish Labour Party, Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and Scottish Green Party expected. A representative from Christian Aid Scotland will also be on the panel. All the Holyrood candidates are standing for the Glasgow Regional list so what they have to say will be relevant to voters across the city.

Tuesday 26 April at 7pm: Southside Community Hustings in Kinning Park Church. Nicola Sturgeon, Stephen Curran, David Meikle and Kenneth Elder have agreed to attend. Hosted by Sunny Govan Radio, the event will be chaired by Jim Boyle of Oxfam. If you have questions you’d like to ask this panel please email: sunnygovanhustings@hotmail.co.uk or phone 0141 445 3741

Sunday 1 May at 7pm: Langside Church if the builders have completed work on the new building, or in the David Cargill Centre, 166 Ledard Road, Glasgow G42 9EU, if not. Candidates for Glasgow Cathcart on a Question Time type of panel: Eileen Baxendale, Scottish Liberal Democrats: James Dornan, Scottish National Party: Charlie Gordon, Scottish Labour Party: John McKee Independent: Richard Sullivan, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.

story and photograph by Emma Clifford
An award-winning rap star dropped into Sunny Govan Radio on Monday 29 November, to ask listeners for help.
Professor Green is taking part in Channel 4’s ‘Live and Lost with Blackberry’ tour. He appealed to Sunny Govan fans to help him travel to Carlisle. One of the ‘tasks’ he has to complete is travelling from Glasgow to London using only his Blackberry and his loyal fans. He also has to organise a concert in London within five days.
The artist was interviewed on the ‘Drive-time’ show by presenter, Freestyle Master, who also performed a live rap battle with him, on air.
During the interview, the star was asked about an incident last year in which he nearly lost his life – being attacked with a broken bottle. The two rappers spoke about the culture of crime associated with the music industry.
Professor Green said: ‘Music doesn’t cause crime; it reflects what’s going on.
‘It’s all about a lack of respect. Some people don’t have parents in a state to teach them anything. You’ve got to treat these things from the root.’
The presenter, whose real name is David Mulhern, knew Professor Green as a teenager through ‘rap-battling’ with him.
He said that he was impressed by the number of fans who visited the community station to get a glance of the rapper and added: ‘It was like the Beatles had turned up or something. It was refreshing to meet such a humble hip-hop artist.’
Sunny Govan Radio will be on ‘Live and Lost with Blackberry’ this Sunday on Channel 4. The TV appearance comes after being featured in ‘the Secret Millionaire’ last month.

Govan Fair was a three day celebration this year – the 254th year of the event.
The Govan Fair Queen, Shannon Louise Dixon from Copland Primary School, was crowned by Heather McMillan, founder and managing director of Sunny Govan Radio which broadcasts 24 hours a day across the entire city of Glasgow. The crowning and large procession took place, as always, on the first Friday of June. The following day there was free children’s entertainment in Elder Park and on Sunday the local churches joined together for a Songs of Praise. For more pictures of the Govan Fair, taken by Eddie Aitken, check the LOCAL NEWS GLASGOW website: www.localnewsglasgow.co.uk

Govan Fair Queen Abbie Hunter and her entourage after her crowning last year 2009.

Incredibly, the Govan Fair has been held for 254 years. And the next one is not to be missed. Just roll up to Govan on Friday 4 June, 2010 to join the start of a weekend of fun.
At the Victory Christian Centre in Langlands Road, the Govan Fair Queen will be crowned by Heather McMillan, the doughty fighter who has moved Sunny Govan Radio 103.5fm from a community station operating a few weeks in the year to a 24 hour, Glasgow-wide and beyond, formally registered, radio station.
The Queen and her entourage will then drive to Copland Road to lead the procession which wends its way round the area, passing the judges on the balcony at the Pearce Institute, and back to Langlands Road. There the Queen – on a platform – takes the final salute from all the procession acts.
Some of the dance groups dance all the way with amazing acrobatics keeping the crowds agog.
Saturday 5 June has been decreed a family fun day in Elder Park around Elderpark Library so things will be going on inside and outside to suit the weather (it will be a scorcher!) The nice thing is that the hard working Govan Fair Committee headed by Dot Courtney and Kenneth Kerr, have arranged for all the entertainments for children to be FREE!
On Sunday, the local churches will hold a ‘come ye all’ prayer and praise meeting in Elder Park but at the time of writing, the LOCAL NEWS GLASGOW could not establish the time for that. On the same day the Fire Station in Govan Road will have an Open Day.
So don’t miss out – visit Govan on Govan Fair weekend this year to enjoy a treat.

Editor's Corner

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